Chapter 40 of Agenda 21 1/
is concerned with improving the content, format and accessibility of
information for decision makers at all levels, from the national and
international levels to the grass-roots and individual ones. This, in
turn, requires a continuing emphasis on developing the capabilities
to collect, analyse, apply and disseminate data at national and local
levels. A number of important issues surrounding information strategies
are discussed in the present report, from improving data assessment
and analysis, and standards and meta-information, to networking.

Among the issues addressed
are four regarding which specific proposals are made for further and
immediate action. These include a programme of work for indicators for
sustainable development; the United Nations system-wide Earthwatch;
the establishment of a complementary Development Watch; and development
of a common or compatible system of access to United Nations system-wide
databases. Proposals for action are contained in paragraphs 95-98.

INTRODUCTION

1. Chapter 40 of Agenda 21,
1/ entitled "Information for decision-making", addresses
the subject over a broad range of activities. One of these activities
is the United Nations system-wide Earthwatch, itself a complex and comprehensive
information system for the environment. The task managers for chapter
40 and Earthwatch, the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable
Development of the United Nations Secretariat and the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) respectively, agreed to combine their efforts
and produce a single report covering both information for decision-
making and Earthwatch. This decision was endorsed by an Inter-agency
Earthwatch Working Party in June 1994.

2. The discussion contained
in the present report results from inputs provided by national Governments,
the relevant organizations of the United Nations system, and a number
of non-governmental organizations. In addition, the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development expresses its gratitude to
the organizers of six workshops that helped to elucidate some of the
issues addressed in chapter 40 of Agenda 21, namely (a) the Earthwatch
Working Party, organized by UNEP (Geneva, 1 and 2 June 1994); (b) the
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Consultative Forum on the
Application of Information Systems and Technology to Sustainable Human
Development (New York, 24 and 25 May 1994); (c) the Informal Consultation
on Environment, Development and Information, organized by the International
Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada (Ottawa, Canada, 11 and
12 April 1994); (d) the Workshop on Indicators, organized by the World
Bank (Washington, D.C., 22 and 23 September 1994); (e) the Expert Group
Meeting on Development Watch, organized jointly by the Department for
Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development and UNDP (New York,
15 and 16 December 1994); and (f) the Workshop on Indicators organized
by the Governments of Belgium and Costa Rica, UNEP and the Scientific
Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE) (Ghent, Belgium, 9-11
January 1995). The Expert Group Meeting on Indicators for Sustainable
Development, organized by the Department for Policy Coordination and
Sustainable Development of the Secretariat on 14 and 15 February 1995,
also contributed to the discussions and proposals contained in this
report.

3. In reviewing this report,
it is also important to keep in mind that the collection, handling and
dissemination of information together constitute an important part of
all of the chapters of Agenda 21. Consequently, attention is drawn to
all of the thematic reports to the Commission providing additional treatment
of these issues.

A.
Stages of decision-making

4. Chapter 40 of Agenda 21
acknowledges that "everyone is a user and provider of information considered
in the broad sense". Moreover, it notes that decision makers exist at
all levels, from "the national and international levels to the grass-roots
and individual levels". It stresses the need to bridge the "data gap"
and to improve the availability of information through several activities
designed to improve each step of the decision-making process (para.
40.1).

5. Decision-making is a cyclical
process, with decisions engendering certain actions, the results of
which feed back into new decisions. In general, this process is considered
to involve five steps: (a) problem identification; (b) policy formulation;
(c) implementation; (d) performance monitoring; and (e) evaluation.
One does not move "up" from one step to the other, with a finite destination.
The process is a loop, and each function may be viewed as an entry point.

6. The information required
will vary with the nature of the decisions to be taken. Needs for each
step may differ in some other respects as well. Problem identification
requires scientific and technical data and the methodologies for their
collection and interpretation. Those data will be drawn from performance
monitoring and evaluation activities, as well as from other sources.
For this purpose, performance monitoring evaluation, and problem identification
may be viewed in tandem.

7. Policy formulation is
likely to require additional data, related, for example, to the social,
economic, technological and cultural conditions in a country. Technology
assessment for potential solutions and other methodologies for assessment
and forecasting are important here. Above all, policy formulation presupposes
the existence of a strategy with objectives towards which the policies
are directed.

8. Implementation depends
upon information about local site conditions, including the actors who
will assist in the implementation. Representation of major groups is
particularly important as ensuring channels of information both from
and to people at the grass-roots level.

9. Continuing performance
monitoring and evaluation will show whether the policy and its implementation
are effective and suggest where further problem identification and policy
formulation are required.

10. Capacity-building efforts
are crucial to all stages of decision-making. These include training
in the collection, handling and use of data, as well as in assessment
and other analytical techniques; establishing internal databases and
information systems and linking them with external systems, as relevant;
designing mechanisms for involving all major groups both as providers
and as users of information; and creating the institutional support
to sustain all of these functions.

11. All of the producers
of information are also potential users. Decision makers at local and
national levels, major groups and international organizations all communicate
across levels as well as within them, for different purposes. Inputs
may differ as outputs or targets vary, but this is not necessarily the
case. The fact that in the past information supply, and not demand,
has been emphasized highlights the present need for both information
brokers and demand-driven information.

B.
The users of information

12. The concept of "users"
of information is a broader one than that of "decision makers", although
all users generally seek information in order to make decisions. Chapter
40 of Agenda 21 addresses itself primarily to decision makers at the
national political level, but other users are also important. Within
a country, users may include the following:

(a) Economic planners within
the central Government, who rely primarily on macroeconomic information
that is provided by other government ministries and the national bureau
of statistics;

(b) Sectoral ministries,
public enterprises, and public agencies that usually rely on information
collected nationally, through ministerial networks, and on data from
international sources. Integration of the data may be difficult because
of a lack of standardization and assessment methodologies;

(c) Researchers and analysts
in universities, research institutions and similar non-governmental
organizations, who represent an important source of analysis and modelling,
and can function as technical information brokers for political decision
makers;

(d) Private sector institutions
and enterprises, which need very specific information and usually seek
it through private means;

(e) Local-level data users,
including major groups and their representative organizations, whose
needs vary from data on weather and land use to microeconomic trends;

(f) Bilateral and multilateral
institutions, which have needs for national-level-related information
ranging from macroeconomic data to project- specific information.

13. Bilateral and multilateral
institutions, including both intergovernmental and non-governmental
organizations, also have a need to exchange information among themselves,
in order to increase harmonization and standardization and to profit
from each other's experience with project design and implementation.
This issue is addressed below under "Networks".

I.
GENERAL OVERVIEW OF STATUS AND PROBLEMS

14. Based on an analysis
of the work done since the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development on information for decision-making, particularly in
the context of the in-depth study of Earthwatch, it appears that many
of the elements for an effective information system for decision-making
on environment and sustainable development are in place or are being
developed at the international level. Considerable progress has also
been made at the national level, through the efforts of Governments,
the private sector, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations
system. This work needs, however, to be expanded and strengthened, and,
in general, better linked at all levels.

15. Continuing emphasis must
be placed not only on access to data, but also on developing the capabilities
to collect, analyse, apply and disseminate data at the national and
local levels. The national reports indicate that one of the more comprehensive
ways in which countries are trying to address these issues is by developing
national strategies or policies for sustainable development information,
often within the context of national sustainable development strategies.

16. What also needs to be
completed is the assembling of the various elements in a coherent process
that moves information quickly from initial data collection (generally
by Governments), through compilation and assessment, to delivery in
forms decision makers can use. The mechanisms that have been established
to do this - including the efforts by Pakistan, Switzerland, Turkey
and Uganda to create comprehensive information frameworks at the national
level, and the use of indicators by the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland and the United States of America, for example,
to help define a framework - are discussed in this report.

17. The "information revolution"
in new technologies such as electronic networks and computer imagery
will make possible flows and uses of information that would have been
inconceivable even a few years ago. There is in fact a danger of information
overload, as the ability to collect and communicate information exceeds
the ability to absorb and understand it.

18. Decision makers may not
have the technical training to allow them to use information from scientific,
technical or statistical sources in the most productive manner. They
are likely to rely on an adviser who interprets the information for
them. This requires a careful reconsideration of the information-supply
process, as regards producing the critical elements from the assessment
process in forms that can be understood and utilized. Indicators are
one approach to this problem. Another is the use of "information brokers",
to help interpret, manage, filter and add value to the flood of available
information. The information broker is a facilitator who can raise awareness
about what is available, and at what costs and for what purpose.

II.
REVIEW OF PROGRESS ACHIEVED, MAIN POLICY ISSUES AND EXPERIENCES

A.
Indicators for sustainable development

19. Decision makers need
concise information, put forward in a clear and unambiguous fashion
and disembarrassed of minor details. The purpose is to illuminate certain
phenomena or trends, through simplification, quantification and communication.
2/ In such form, indicators may not only be useful
in improving information for decision-making, but may simplify reporting
requirements as well through the replacing of extensive data or descriptive
text by commonly agreed measures.

20. Agenda 21 recommends
that countries at the national level and international governmental
and non-governmental organizations at the international level should
develop the concept of indicators of sustainable development in order
to identify such indicators (para. 40.6) The value of indicators as
policy instruments is enhanced when they are used in combination with
targets that have been set as part of national policies.

21. A number of countries
are developing their own indicators, for the environment or for sustainable
development. These include, inter alia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica,
Cuba, Denmark, Finland, Germany, India, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Other countries,
including Turkey and Uganda, have indicated their intention to start
work in this area.

22. In addition, the United
Nations system, in coordination with other relevant organizations, is
asked by Agenda 21 to provide recommendations for harmonizing the development
of indicators at the national, regional and global levels, and for incorporating
a suitable set of these indicators in common, regularly updated, and
widely accessible reports and databases, for use at the international
level, subject to national sovereignty considerations (para. 40.7).

23. Numerous organizations,
both within and outside the United Nations system, have been working
on the development of indicators related to sustainable development.
The Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) is developing indicators within
the context of its work on environment statistics and accounting. The
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is conducting
a study on the development of environmentally sound and sustainable
development indicators through the Inter-agency Committee on Environment
and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific that would complement
the global initiative. The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is investigating
the relevance of its work on social and economic indicators to sustainable
development indicators. The Economic Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean (ECLAC) also has a programme to assist countries of the
region in this area. Other examples within the United Nations system
include the work of the Statistical Division of the United Nations Secretariat
(UNSTAT) on environmental indicators and accounting; UNDP in the area
of assessment of sustainable human development, as laid out in the Human
Development Report, including the aggregate human development index
(HDI); UNDP/United Nations Sudano-Sahelian Office (UNSO) on desertification
indicators; UNEP on environment indicators and in its work on the global
environment outlook; the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat) on urban shelter indicators for local and national Governments;
the World Bank on sustainable development indicators; the United Nations
University (UNU), with the World Bank, on indicators for environmental
monitoring; the World Health Organization (WHO) on 12 global health
indicators; UNEP and WHO on local indicators linking environment and
health data; the International Labour Organization (ILO) in the area
of rapid poverty assessment; the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)
on climate change detection indicators; the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) in the area of low-cost indicators for monitoring
sustainable agriculture and rural development and, with the International
Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), on the development of a framework
for sustainable forest conservation and management for use at the national
level; the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
on the significance for sustainable development of its work on industrial
statistics and related indicators; and the Committee for Development
Planning on indicators for identifying the least developed among the
developing countries and evaluating their economic and social progress.

24. Other intergovernmental
organizations, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), the European Union and the World Conservation Union,
as well as such non-governmental organizations as the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), World Wide Fund for
Nature, the New Economics Foundation, the Worldwatch Institute, the
World Resources Institute and the Wuppertal Institute are all active
in this area. The current role of the Department for Policy Coordination
and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat, as task
manager of this issue, is to bring together the many actors in this
field, to build on their work and to propose a cooperative programme
for indicators for sustainable development that may directly serve the
needs of the Commission on Sustainable Development, as well as all Member
States. This programme of work is contained in Annex
I.

25. In chapter 40 of Agenda
21, the Statistical Division of the United Nations Secretariat (UNSTAT)
is requested to pursue the development of indicators for sustainable
development at the national level. In 1993, a UNEP/UNSTAT Consultative
Expert Group on Environment and Sustainable Development Indicators was
created to begin addressing this issue. A (draft) framework for indicators
of sustainable development was introduced by UNSTAT at the meeting of
the Group.

26. As the next step in the
consensus-building process, the Division for Sustainable Development
of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development,
in a joint task force with UNSTAT, developed a framework of indicators
for the proposed programme of work. This "Driving force-State-Response"
framework is discussed in Annex I.

27. The objective of this
work is primarily to make the indicators for sustainable development
accessible to decision makers at the national level by defining those
indicators, elucidating their methodologies and providing training and
other capacity-building activities, as relevant. Indicators, as used
in national policies, may also be used in the national reports to the
Commission on Sustainable Development and other intergovernmental bodies.

28. The draft framework was
presented at a workshop on indicators hosted by the World Bank in Washington,
D.C., on 22 and 23 September 1994. The workshop was attended by a large
number of organizations working in the field of indicators for sustainable
development as well as representatives of some Governments. The participants
recognized that there are many organizations working on developing indicators
for sustainable development, and that it would be useful to harmonize
these efforts towards producing a menu of indicators for use in monitoring
progress towards sustainable development at the national level. It was
also recognized that such a menu should be used in a flexible manner,
as priorities and problems differ between countries and regions.

29. Participants in the SCOPE
project on indicators of sustainable development agreed that the SCOPE
project should use the same menu of indicators as that being developed
on behalf of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The project
aims to develop a limited set of highly aggregated indicators for policy-making
at the national and international levels. The meeting organized by Belgium,
Costa Rica, the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development
of the United Nations Secretariat, UNEP and SCOPE provided a forum for
both experts and users from Governments, international organizations
and non-governmental organizations to discuss the scientific validity,
technical feasibility and political acceptability of various approaches
to the development of indicators for the Commission.

30. Work on developing highly
aggregated indicators for sustainable development may proceed concurrently
with further development of the menu. Although this represents a longer-term
effort, it is important for three reasons: it explores the relationship
among the variables, which lies at the heart of the linkages intrinsic
to sustainable development; it concentrates information collection and
analysis and facilitates presentation to decision makers; and it may
serve as the basis of an early warning system, if desired.

31. The proposed common framework
for the indicators, criteria for choosing indicators, a programme of
work and a menu of indicators for sustainable development for consideration
by the Commission on Sustainable Development are contained in Annex
I. It is proposed that the Commission agree that work will proceed
on this basis, with the understanding that this is a flexible, working
menu of indicators that will be fine-tuned by countries according to
their own specific needs, after further methodological work, testing
and training.

32. It is also proposed that
the Commission on Sustainable Development encourage continued cooperation
with the work under way on environment indicators under the auspices
of the Statistical Commission.

B.
Data collection and use

33. Countries and international
organizations are requested in Agenda 21 to carry out inventories of
environmental, resource and developmental data, based on national/global
priorities. Of the countries that provided national reports for chapter
40, half indicated that they had undertaken such inventories within
the previous two years. The objectives are primarily three: improved
management of sustainable development; identification of gaps; and organization
of activities to fill those gaps.

34. Particular reference
is made in this context to the strengthening of the United Nations system-wide
Earthwatch and the suggested creation of a Development Watch. In the
context of chapter 40, including the study for Earthwatch, an inventory
was undertaken of United Nations system data and activities in these
areas. 3/ This inventory demonstrates the wealth of
activities across the United Nations system generating information useful
for decision-making and the potential for assembling that information
more effectively in support of national policy-making and environmental
management and in implementation of Agenda 21.

35. The material provided
in the inventory, as well as additional information submitted by national
Governments, the United Nations system, and non-governmental organizations,
also identifies some of the significant gaps to be filled. Among these
gaps is the weakness in data collection and assessment particularly
with respect to the following (the references in parentheses are to
programme areas of Agenda 21, for example, "5c" denotes programme area
C of chapter 5):

(e) Global isotope monitoring
of atmospheric trace gases and river run-off as a part of global change
research; impact of aircraft engine emissions in the upper atmosphere
(9D);

(f) Mountains: strengthening
knowledge and integrated watershed development (13 A and B);

(g) People's participation
in agricultural policy (14B);

(h) Land conservation and
rehabilitation; monitoring of land resources (14E);

(i) Plant nutrition (14J);

(j) Rural energy (14K);

(k) Application of biotechnology
to food and raw materials (16A);

(l) Application of biotechnology
to improving human health (16B);

(m) Oceans: establishment
of global marine databases supported by geographical information systems
(GIS) as well as a network of marine laboratories for emergency situations;
better-quality fishery data at the national level (17);

(n) Classification and labelling
of toxic chemicals; preparation of a priority list for chemicals and
accelerating risk assessment for priority chemicals (19B);

(o) Prevention and management
of hazardous wastes (20 A and B);

(p) Disposal and treatment
of wastes (21 C and D);

(q) Information on the role,
activities and participation of major groups (23-32), and especially
of non-governmental organizations (27), local authorities (28), entrepreneurs
(30) and farmers (32);

(r) Availability of environmentally
sound technologies (34);

(s) Promotion of the local
production and use of sustainable development information (including
traditional information) and community-based initiatives.

36. Even where good data
exist, the geographical coverage is in many cases neither consistent
nor universal. This highlights the need for georeferencing of data and
for coordinating the collection of data across sectors and organizations,
at national and regional levels. For many sectors, local-level comparisons,
such as intra-urban differences or intra-district differences, may also
be critical in illuminating the issues and supporting the solutions.

1.
United Nations system-wide Earthwatch

37. Earthwatch has constituted
the framework, since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
held in Stockholm in 1972, for the efforts of the United Nations system
to monitor and assess the global environment. In response to the General
Assembly and the UNEP Governing Council, the United Nations system-wide
Earthwatch is being redesigned and strengthened as a closely linked
collaborative set of international efforts to coordinate, harmonize
and integrate observing, assessing and reporting activities.

38. The objective is to provide
environmental and appropriate socio-economic information for national
and international decision-making on sustainable development and for
early warning of emerging problems requiring international action. This
should include timely information on the pressures on, status of and
trends in key global resources, variables and processes in both natural
and human systems and on the response to problems in these areas.

39. The major issues that
Earthwatch addresses include the following:

(a) Observing the capacity
of land resources and the impacts of processes such as deforestation,
soil degradation and desertification;

(b) Loss of natural areas
and biodiversity;

(c) Protection of the atmosphere;

(d) Quantity and quality
of freshwater resources;

(e) State of the oceans and
coastal areas;

(f) Human health conditions
and quality of life determined by the environment, including the living
and working environment of the poor;

In addition, Earthwatch must
be alert to new and emerging issues, and in particular to the inevitable
interactions between all these issues and development processes, where
threats to development prospects and to human well-being may emerge.
Thus the United Nations system-wide Earthwatch cannot be content to
assess each problem separately, but must build the capacities to examine
them all together and to draw out the key policy issues to be addressed
by the international community.

40. Such an effort cannot
be undertaken by any United Nations organization alone. It requires
the combined efforts of the whole United Nations system and many outside
partners, with each of the organizations with major environmental or
resource concerns taking a lead in its particular sector, and with UNEP,
in its coordinating role for the environment, looking at how all of
the parts fit together into an integrated whole.

41. In implementing Earthwatch,
the United Nations system will facilitate access to information on environmental
activities, and to information held by each part of the system. It will
identify possibilities for collaboration and mutual reinforcement in
observation and assessment programmes within and outside the United
Nations system. It will promote capacity-building for data collection,
assessment and reporting, as well as improve the harmonization and quality
control of data and the standardization of methodologies. Earthwatch
will also facilitate the wider use of information and assessments from
each partner in national and international decision-making, and seek
to coordinate joint reporting on the global state of the environment
and sustainable development. Earthwatch may also identify priorities
for international action; give early warnings of emerging environmental
problems; and share experience in applying new technologies and in increasing
the impact of information. Earthwatch may also contribute to organizing
coherent plans for activities responding to United Nations system-wide
mandates such as Agenda 21.

42. An Earthwatch Working
Party, comprising all the concerned United Nations system organizations,
was organized by UNEP to support the continued development of Earthwatch
and to facilitate the taking of decisions in common. UNEP has also established
a small Earthwatch secretariat to maintain a continuous liaison among
the partners and to assist in implementing common activities. Reference
is made thereto in annex II of
this report.

2.
Development Watch

43. A significant gap that
was highlighted in chapter 40 and whose existence was reiterated by
the Commission on Sustainable Development at its first session, as well
as by the United Nations system organizations in their review of Earthwatch,
was the lack of a Development Watch. While the environmental perspective
of Earthwatch is necessary to identify the environmental limits to sustainability,
the lesson of Rio de Janeiro is that environmental protection can no
longer be considered in isolation from development.

44. A cooperative effort
among the organizations of the United Nations system has now begun with
respect to preparing proposals for Development Watch. For example, at
an Expert Group Meeting, jointly organized by the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development and UNDP in New York, on 14
and 15 December 1994, it was proposed that a Development Watch should
be established to assist decision makers, especially those at the national
level, to understand the interaction among physical (environmental),
social and economic phenomena and the policy options these interactions
suggest. It could also facilitate coordination of data collection and
presentation by United Nations system organizations in the area of sustainable
development.

45. Whereas Earthwatch is
primarily a global information system, Development Watch could be based
on national information systems. While they may not be fully analogous,
they would be complementary. Earthwatch would serve as a feeder of information
into Development Watch and the two systems would be coordinated.

46. Development Watch would
use existing data and would be linked to the ongoing work on indicators
for sustainable development, including efforts to define highly aggregated
indicators. Since it is intended to be operational at the national level,
it would be linked to targets established by the concerned countries
themselves. Where targets do not already exist, key issues for a country
could be identified, and targets promoted, based on these issues.

47. The precise outputs of
Development Watch need further definition, but they might include tables
of data on those indicators monitored at the national level and presentations
of the results of analyses of emerging issues. Whenever appropriate,
outputs could be produced in cooperation with Earthwatch and linked
to capacity-building and training activities.

48. To become operational,
Development Watch would require an organizational focal point at the
national level and agreements on cooperation among the participating
organizations. The UNDP country offices could serve as national focal
points.

49. Additional work is needed
to define more precisely the objectives, activities and outputs of Development
Watch and its relationship to Earthwatch. This will require further
consultations both within and outside the United Nations system; UNDP,
with UNEP and the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable
Development of the United Nations Secretariat, might take the lead in
organizing this cooperation and reporting thereon to the Commission
at its fourth session.

C.
Improvement of methods of data assessment and analysis

50. Work is under way at
the national level in many countries, as follows: national and local
governments are taking the initiative in establishing data and information
inventories. The development both of national frameworks for information
and of indicators also represents an attempt by countries to improve
data collection, assessment and analysis. In addition, both Earthwatch
and Development Watch are attempts by international organizations to
develop practical methods for coordinated, harmonized collection and
assessment of data at national and international levels. UNSTAT's programme
of work will focus on, inter alia, the development of concepts
and methods of environmental indicators and integrated environment and
economic accounting.

51. Another example has been
the joint development by the relevant United Nations bodies and the
international scientific community of a Global Climate Observing System,
a Global Ocean Observing System and a Global Terrestrial Observing System
to organize operational long-term programmes of measurements necessary
to understand and model how global systems work and to detect possible
signs of predicted global change. These systems aim to bridge the gap
between short-term research programmes and operational data collection
for management purposes; and if adequately supported by Governments,
they should be able to supply globally coordinated and comparable data
sets necessary to determine important trends and to provide the bases
for early warning systems. Other more specialized systems are being
established or strengthened in particular fields, usually within these
general frameworks.

52. Many examples are also
available from among non-governmental organizations working at the international
level. NGONET, for example, operates a global environmental and development
network, through a series of regional nodes, with specific concern for
the information needs of the South, indigenous peoples, women and grass-roots
organizations. The International Institute for Environment and Development
(IIED) is planning to establish an international resource centre for
participatory approaches and methods, and it is working on behalf of
ITTO to develop a "Forest Resources Accounting System". IIED also produces
a series of guides on environmental assessment and natural resource
and sustainable development strategies, and it collaborates with the
International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) to provide the International Environmental and Natural Resource
Assessment Information Service (INTERAISE). This consists of a computerized
database of country environmental and natural resource documents, selected
regional directories, a documentation centre, and an information referral
service.

53. Work at the national
level is being supported in many cases by various organizations within
the United Nations system, in their respective areas of activity. One
of the most recent initiatives is the Sustainable Development Network
Programme (SDNP) being undertaken by UNDP, in cooperation with other
organizations within and outside the United Nations system. UNDP is
also considering a second and complementary programme at the country
level to enhance information flows, whereby electronic and conventional
data and information from various parts of the United Nations system
and other organizations might be provided, in an open fashion, through
the UNDP country office or some other local institution. In both cases,
emphasis would be given to assessment of demand at the national level.

54. Most of the agencies
that collect data or build national capacities to do so have active
programmes to develop standardized methods, harmonize definitions and
classifications, and ensure quality control of the data collected. Such
activities are essential to any use of information beyond the local
area, and the lack of such common approaches in certain fields has prevented
the global assessment of some significant problems. One way to build
a common understanding of terms is to organize, in a coordinated manner,
very detailed information that is location-sensitive.

55. A tool that is becoming
increasingly important for the assessment of environment and development
trends and their potential consequences is computer modelling. It is
such models fed by large quantities of data that have supported the
majority consensus of international scientific opinion on the potential
for global warming from the greenhouse effect. Models are used routinely
by WMO for weather prediction, by FAO to forecast crop yields and to
give early warning of potential famines, and by WHO to assess the risks
of morbidity and disability from diseases. UNEP in cooperation with
various research centres is now exploring the use of models to integrate
the many kinds of environmental, social and economic information and
to study how they interact. The Department for Economic and Social Information
and Policy Analysis of the United Nations Secretariat maintains and
is developing further a global input-output model (GIOM) which integrates
pollution and pollution- abatement activities and renewable and non-renewable
resource use with production and consumption patterns for 16 world regions.
The LEADnet Program of the Rockefeller Foundation is developing modelling
techniques for presenting various impact scenarios and interactive case-studies
to aid in decision-making.

56. Many of these models,
and others developed by national-level users, are already being used
in some countries to explore policy options and to give guidance for
decision-making in sustainable development. At the same time, more work
needs to be undertaken to explore the possibilities of enhanced interlinkages
among models in their application. This topic is also considered in
the report of the Secretary-General on changing consumption and production
patterns (E/CN.17/1995/13).

57. It is also possible to
programme the judgements and decision processes of experts, and various
types of scientific information, into computerized expert systems, which
can be adapted to local situations, and to make such expertise more
widely available to decision-makers than would otherwise be possible.
Some pilot systems for developing countries and regions have already
been developed, and further progress in this area can be expected. FAO
has made considerable progress with systems for agricultural planning,
and WHO is developing systems for local health planning. UNEP is working
with IIASA and others to explore the utility of expert systems in national
state-of-the- environment analyses and reporting. Expert systems may
help to bridge the information gap created by the lack of adequate scientific
expertise in many countries and the long time required to build that
capacity through educational programmes and practical experience.

58. Information can be provided
at various geographical scales ranging from the scale of the local community
to that of the planet. Since the issues at each scale are different,
specific information mechanisms are required at each level, but the
general principles discussed here still apply. Similarly, some issues
can be addressed with numerical or statistical data, while others require
data referenced to specific geographical locations so that they can
be mapped and related spatially to other data.

59. Assessments could be
more meaningful in some instances if they could be compiled for agro-ecological
zones, ecoregions, river basins, and geographical entities such as coastal
areas and mountain regions. An example is the river- basin framework
that is being used by UNEP and partners as inputs into the global/comprehensive
freshwater assessment. If data are georeferenced with their precise
locations when collected (this is now becoming much easier with global
positioning systems), they can easily be correlated in space through
geographical information systems. Much information is in fact collected
at subnational scales, but it is generally combined into national statistics
before being reported internationally, thus losing much of its value.

D.
Establishment of a comprehensive information framework

60. The strengthening of
Earthwatch and the establishment of a closely linked Development Watch
should provide a coherent framework for information on sustainable development
at the international level. These measures are already strengthening
collaboration in the United Nations system, improving efficiency and
increasing the value added to information collected.

61. At the same time, a number
of Governments are moving towards structural integration of environment-
and development-related ministries, through national councils, commissions,
and other coordinating machinery. These new organizations may serve
as the focal points for integrating environmental and developmental
information as well. The development of indicators for monitoring progress
at the national level towards sustainable development, through the implementation
of Agenda 21, should also assist in this process.

62. Efforts at both the international
level and the national level rely on the involvement of relevant non-governmental
as well as governmental and intergovernmental actors. Major groups,
as represented in non-governmental organizations, are essential to the
comprehensiveness of an information framework.

E.
Strengthening the capacity for traditional information

63. Traditional information
about environmental resources and sustainable forms of development needs
to be brought into the national and international information systems.
Participatory rural appraisal and planning and similar techniques can
be encouraged as a part of systematizing traditional information. In
the same manner that one may speak of "brokers" to help make a large
amount of data accessible and relevant to national-level decision makers,
so, too, should one consider the use of brokers to help translate traditional
information into a readily usable format at all levels.

64. Several UNU field research
projects/programmes address the issue of harnessing traditional and
indigenous knowledge on environmental management, particularly in agricultural
systems. Systematic efforts to learn from, adapt and utilize indigenous
information are made within the collaborative research programme on
Population, Land Management and Environmental Change, which is being
carried out in key agro-ecological zones of tropical and subtropical
environments. A related programme, on Mountain Ecology and Sustainable
Development, implemented jointly with the NGO International Mountain
Society, has focused on the human-environment interplay in the mountain
and highland areas of the world since 1978. A third programme is concerned
with indigenous knowledge in Africa for the conservation and utilization
of traditional food crops, and medicinal and other useful plants, as
well as soil and water conservation techniques.

65. Local Governments, from
district through town to village level, should give particular attention
to this issue. Non-governmental organizations working at both grass-roots
and international levels, including, for example, NGONET, the Association
for Progressive Communication and the Earth Council, may provide a valuable
service by assisting in identifying, assessing and relating traditional
information to national objectives, strategies and plans. UNDP's Sustainable
Development Network Programme, which, by the end of 1995, with support
from Capacity 21, will have expanded into 27 countries, should also
assist in this process, along with work by IUCN in strengthening the
role of indigenous peoples, including through the use of traditional
knowledge.

66. At the same time, it
is important to develop national and even international guidelines concerning
the ownership of traditional information. It is well known that some
private corporations search, especially, for traditional information
of potential use in pharmaceuticals and other commercial areas. One
of the most effective means for disseminating information about traditional
knowledge may in fact be through the market- place. However, issues
of intellectual property rights need to be carefully addressed in this
area.

III.
IMPROVING THE AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION

A.
Production of information usable for decision-making

67. Information is disseminated,
by the international community, through a variety of formats to a wide
range of users (see paras. 10 and 11). Annual and biennial reports and
yearbooks contain largely textual and analytical information for a user
who is likely to be more academic than political. Reports are prepared
for intergovernmental and expert bodies; statistical data are made available
through both printed and electronic form; and promotional material,
such as brochures, bulletins, and newsletters, are regularly provided,
primarily in print.

68. All of these are important
and often, in fact, mandated. They are relevant to decision-making by
popularizing areas related to sustainable development and thus helping
to create an informed public; by providing technical data for scientists,
engineers and other trained cadres who rely on these inputs for the
analysis and recommendations that feed into the political process; and
by suggesting broad goals, objectives and policy options for discussion
at intergovernmental forums. None the less, most of this information
is not available in a format for immediate and direct use by decision
makers at national and local levels. The exceptions, including some
of the more experimental attempts, are interesting and highlight the
direction that information dissemination may take.

69. In general, decision
makers may be understood to need information that is succinct, that
is representative, and that allows some play for alternative scenarios
and customizing for national (or local) conditions. Indicators should
assist in this process. There needs to be up-to-date information on
the current situation, georeferencing, and some way of anticipating
what the future may hold through modelling, projections and scenarios,
leading to policy options and their implications. Textual reporting
remains important as providing "standalone" analyses and as helping
to confer meaning and context on quantitative data.

70. An interesting example
of what could serve as a useful tool for decision makers is the Electronic
Atlas of Agenda 21, currently being developed by the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. The initial component of this project
will develop an Atlas shell as well as an application dedicated to chapter
15 of Agenda 21, entitled "Conservation of biological diversity". This
biodiversity volume will include a geographical database on compact
disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) for monitoring indicators of biodiversity;
two multimedia scenarios on biodiversity; and associated tools to complete
the Atlas functionally. The long-term objective of the Electronic Atlas
is to cover all 40 chapters of Agenda 21. It would record specific successes
(and failures) of models of sustainable development in open computerized
forums for use by those involved in the implementation of Agenda 21
programmes.

71. Information is disseminated
through print, diskette, and electronic networks. Virtually all United
Nations system organizations use all three means, and for the immediate
future, this redundancy in delivery is good as well as necessary. The
objective may be to move towards electronic "on-line" services for rapid
access, capability to handle large amounts of data and relative low
cost for service. For example, World Weather Watch is now available
via the Internet. Eventually, not only will electronic communication
provide two-way communication and downloading of data, but it may also,
through electronic seminars and workshops, put groups of experts, advisers
and trainers at the disposal of decision makers in a manner that saves
both time and money.

72. The Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development has compiled a comprehensive,
structured electronic record of Commission on Sustainable Development
proceedings, and posted it with the UNDP Internet Gopher Server; Commission
documents are also transmitted to the Association for Progressive Communications
(APC) and the Togethernet networks. The Department for Policy Coordination
and Sustainable Development is also promoting the development of an
interface to permit direct access to the United Nations electronic archive
(optical disk system) of United Nations parliamentary documents via
the Internet, and it is using electronic conferences on the APC network
to establish a dialogue with non-governmental organizations and other
major groups. FAO's Global Forest Resources Assessment is increasingly
making data available through electronic means. Country briefs for tropical
countries are now available on diskette and Internet. The numerical
information for the 1990 assessment for tropical countries will soon
be available on diskette.

73. The reality for now,
however, is that the number of countries as well as of relevant departments,
institutes and organizations within countries that have the human, the
technological or the telecommunications capacity to take advantage of
the new electronic media are insufficient. At the same time, many organizations
within the United Nations system, as well as several non-governmental
organizations, are increasingly using a combination of print and diskette,
and in fact the latter provides a medium-level entry into electronic
information. It is less expensive to distribute than volumes of paper;
it is easily duplicated and disseminated more widely throughout a country;
it permits direct entry of data into an information system; and, through
its use, it builds both technological and human capacity.

74. A large number of organizations
are involved in the collection and compilation of environment and related
information and statistics in countries. Preparation of an inventory
of who is doing what on a regular basis would help to avoid duplication
of activities and facilitate the establishment of electronic networking,
at both national and international levels. In the latter arena, a start
has been made by ESCAP, in collaboration with UNEP/Global Resource Information
Database (GRID) and the inter-agency task force on environment statistics.

75. Discussions concerning
dissemination of information tend to focus on the sender. However, unless
the user has the capacity to receive the information, to interpret it,
and to incorporate it into the decision-making process, the amount and
quality of information provided are irrelevant. Capacity-building programmes
therefore need to emphasize support for a local brokering capability
and to assist decision makers to make better use of the information
available. Capacity-building must also include training for the overall
handling of technical data, for the use of information technologies,
for the assessment of needs as well as of information and impact, for
the collection and monitoring of data, and for the development and use
of methodologies. Capacity-building must be directed not only towards
human resource development but also towards institutional strengthening,
through the provision of information technologies and access to the
relevant networks.

76. A major thrust is also
needed to ensure that updated information is available in university
and other institutional libraries as well as public libraries by the
installation of information technology. Such a programme would have
important long-term consequences for the training of future decision
makers, as well as for the in-service training of present ones. WHO
and UNEP have established the Global Environment Library Network (GELNET)
for the specific purpose of strengthening the information supply via
libraries.

77. All organizations in
the United Nations system and many non-governmental organizations, as
well as bilateral initiatives, include capacity-building in their information
programmes, and most of them target all of these objectives. None the
less, the lack of sufficient human and financial resources to accomplish
fully all of the capacity-building that is needed is a major constraint.
Additional financing should be made available for this purpose. In addition,
the United Nations system and other organizations should seek ways to
gain efficiencies through cooperative training workshops and courses,
through the provision of standardized equipment, and, where appropriate,
through on-line instruction. One programme currently under joint development
by the United Nations (interim secretariat for the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change), UNEP, the United Nations Institute for
Training and Research (UNITAR) and UNDP is CC:COPE, which has a training
component entitled CC:TRAIN. This involves training in the application
of environment management guidelines, Capacity 21 and other relevant
programmes, and it relies on SDNP to provide the capacity, and the resources,
at the national level, to use the systems.

B.
Standards and methods for handling information

78. Countries, the United
Nations system collectively, and a number of international non-governmental
organizations have a wealth of information, but it is largely distributed
on a sectoral basis to a specialized constituency. Its value for sustainable
development could be greatly increased by cross- linking the data through
interdisciplinary analysis, for example, by relating epidemiological
data on health conditions with environmental data on pollution problems
in the same area. This would require agreement on standard methods and
definitions so that such comparisons could be made effectively. The
move of several national Governments to establish inter-agency working
groups and councils, as well as to develop national indicators for sustainable
development, is greatly assisting in the integration of the analysis
of relevant data.

79. Within the United Nations
system the issue of interlinkage and cross- sectoral standardization
is being addressed by Earthwatch. As the Earthwatch System develops,
other, non-United Nations system organizations will also be invited
to participate.

80. The access to information
by decision makers is also influenced by the availability of brokers
that assist in the analysis of data and repackaging of information in
appropriate formats. Two organizations, the interim secretariat for
the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and WHO, have
indicated that they are using or are planning to use the Consortium
for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) for this
purpose. UNDP uses the Sustainable Development Networks as brokers.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) has published
a sourcebook on sustainable development that it intends as a "filter"
for decision makers of key materials and sources of relevant information.
NGONET has as its main role that of an "information broker" among local,
regional and international levels.

81. Others use their country-level
offices, workshops, experts or consultants in this capacity. Some indicate
that they repackage information themselves, into popularized editions
of data. However, most of the responding organizations note that no
brokers are used. Since this is an issue at the heart of interpreting
complex data into policy options, more attention should be devoted to
the using of brokers and possibly to the coordinating of brokered information
at the national and regional levels.

C.
Development of documentation about information

82. One of the outputs of
the Advisory Committee for the Coordination of Information Systems (ACCIS)
before it was dissolved was a Database of United Nations Databases and
Information Services (DUNDIS), which is now being evaluated by a task
force of the Information Systems Coordination Committee (ISCC). ACCIS
also completed a fifth edition of the Macrothesaurus, and responsibility
for the maintenance of this has been delegated to the Department for
Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development of the United Nations
Secretariat. 4/

83. Other efforts are being
undertaken by non-governmental organizations, including the thematic
guides produced by CIESIN, and the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau
(CAB) Thesaurus, undertaken in cooperation with FAO, IDRC and the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA). IUCN is also involved in the
development of meta-information, through INTERAISE, a Sourcebook
for Conservation and Biodiversity Information, and a Geneva-area
Roundtable on Environmental Information and Documentation (an informal
network of 29 intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations
and Swiss organizations).

84. An organization within
each country should be responsible for coordinating meta-information
on all programme areas of Agenda 21 at the national level. This organization
may vary from country to country; it will preferably be a national unit,
although a United Nations system organization, such as UNDP, may serve
as the focal point in the initial, capacity-building stages. In so far
as a considerable amount of regional information activity is already
taking place, such as through regional GRID-compatible centres, the
Regional Seas Programmes of UNEP, the regional commissions and other
regional organizations, support for regional level organization should
be strengthened.

85. By creating mechanisms
to search for and collect just the information that is required from
many data repositories, electronic networks can eliminate the need to
gather all data into one place. This requires what is now called meta-data,
that is information as to who holds what kinds of data, where those
kinds of data are to be found, and how to access them. The explosion
of new electronic information technologies and their spread around the
world are rapidly making possible new and more effective approaches
to providing information for decision-making. The Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), for example, in cooperation with
the Joint Committee on Environment and Development in the Arab Region,
is working towards the creation of an integrated Arab environmental
network for policy makers in the area.

86. Inputs to this report
indicate a very large and diverse set of networks on overlapping topics.
Identifying and understanding the purpose of each of these networks
are a daunting task for international organizations, but the problem
is likely to be more complex at the national level. In order to address
this problem, task managers of the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable
Development might consider the possibility of developing and disseminating
meta-information in their respective programme areas of Agenda 21.

87. Task managers could also
organize, as appropriate, inter-agency task forces on cross-sectoral
meta-information (for example, water/health/agriculture). These task
forces could further investigate the possibilities for streamlining
existing networks and avoiding the creation of new networks whenever
feasible and desirable. Such task forces should include, where relevant,
experts from the national level, as well as non-governmental organizations.

88. The Inter-Agency Committee
on Sustainable Development may wish to address the issue of "meta-networks",
through which all United Nations system organizations might be linked
to each other and to other major providers of data.

89. Several organizations
involved in research and capacity-building for sustainable development,
including some private foundations and bilateral donors have agreed
to create BELLANET. This electronic network is expected to assist donors,
and others to improve their performance, eventually through concerted
efforts and financial collaboration in all areas of sustainable development.
During the pilot phase, attention will be focused on biodiversity, forestry,
energy; and the system-wide issue of research investment plans, information
for decision-making and capacity development in environment, within
a country programme focus.

90. The work of NGONET has
already been mentioned. Also notable are the three networks fostered
by the Earth Council: (a) a network linking environmental and development
ombudsmen around the world; (b) a meta-network joining already existing
educational, information and training networks; and (c) a network of
national councils on sustainable development.

91. In setting up electronic
networks of information, efforts should be made to provide the financial
and technical support, where needed, to enrol all interested low income
countries. This modest expenditure could dramatically expand the information
base as well as have a major development impact.

E.
Making use of commercial information sources

92. For information to be
available for decision-making, there are some barriers to the necessary
flow of information that must be overcome. There is an increasing problem
with access to information for public purposes, often because of the
cost of obtaining it. Non-governmental organizations, and even some
government departments, are trying to find ways to cover their costs,
and they see data sales as one option. In some countries, public services
are being privatized. Since business users of data can usually pass
the costs on to their customers, data charges are often set at what
the private sector can afford to pay, thereby pricing public services,
including organizations of the United Nations system, out of the market.

93. Generally, financial
resources are required to purchase information held by private vendors.
However, more creative solutions may be found to access this information
through a "bartering" system. For example, the Department for Policy
Coordination and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat
has begun a programme whereby the documents of the Commission on Sustainable
Development and other relevant bodies are sent to major commercial information
vendors for coverage in their bibliographic databases. In return, the
Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development gains
access to privately held information. National centres, by participating
in the GRID cooperating centres, get access to technology and data that
might not otherwise be accessible. In return, UNEP/United Nations gets
improved national data.

94. All projects geared towards
sustainable development should contain, parallel to the need to seek
innovative approaches to accessing privately held information, funding
for information collection, analysis and dissemination. In order to
enhance the quality and utility of the data, a marketing strategy would
need to be adopted by the relevant agencies.

IV.
CONCLUSIONS AND PROPOSALS FOR ACTION

95. 1.
The Commission on Sustainable Development is requested to direct its
attention to the proposed programme of work for developing a menu of
indicators for sustainable development. It is proposed that the Commission
approve the programme of work, including the following: (a) enhanced
information exchange among all interested actors; (b) development of
methodology sheets, to be made available to Governments; (c) training
and capacity-building at regional and national levels; (d) testing of
the menu of indicators and monitoring of experiences in three to four
countries; (e) evaluation of the menu and adjustment, as necessary.

96. 2.
National Governments should ensure, consistent with their institutional
coordination for sustainable development, the integration of information
for sustainable development at a country level. This should include
the development of a comprehensive and coherent information programme,
drawing upon public participation in data collection and assessment.
In this context, support should be given to such activities as the Sustainable
Development Network Programme of UNDP.

97. 3.
Through the coordination of UNEP, the United Nations system, with non-governmental
organizations, as relevant, should fully support, strengthen and operationalize
Earthwatch. UNDP, with UNEP and the Department for Policy Coordination
and Sustainable Development of the United Nations Secretariat, and in
cooperation with other interested organizations, should further define
Development Watch. Earthwatch and Development Watch should evolve as
two closely linked support systems for the monitoring and assessment
of sustainable development. A programme of work for Development Watch
and its linkage to Earthwatch should be provided to the Commission at
its session in 1997.

98. 4.
The organizations of the United Nations system should work towards developing
a common or compatible system of access to their respective databases,
in order to share data fully, to streamline the collection and interpretation
of data and to identify data gaps.

2/ Dr. Albert
Adriaanse, Environmental Policy Performance Indicators: A Study on
the Development of Indicators for Environmental Policy in the Netherlands
(The Hague, SDU Publishers, April 1993), pp. 9-11.

3/ The results
of this inventory are contained in a table that is being made available
to the Commission as a "back-of-the-room" paper. It is also available
through both the secretariat of the Commission and the secretariat for
the United Nations system-wide Earthwatch. The reader may also wish
to refer to a Synopsis of Programmes and Activities in Environmental
Statistics, Indicators and Accounting (11 January 1995) prepared
by UNSTAT under the aegis of the Statistical Commission and available
from the office of the Director of UNSTAT.

4/ See the
report of the Information Systems Coordination Committee (ACC/1994/ISCC/12)
of 9 February 1994, para. 78.